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Stephen asked: “With the hoverboards, are they now safe, as far to use without having any problem with charging the batteries? That was the concern I had with getting one this year.”
Stephen, they should definitely be safer than they used to be. UL the certification company that you probably see branded all over the back of all your electronics came up with a safety standard in response to all the fires from hoverboards.
The UL 2272 standard marks a hoverboard as tested and certified as having a safe electrical system, including charger and battery. It’s not guaranteed that it will never catch on fire, but a UL 2272 certified hoverboard should give you some peace of mind.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission still advises hoverboard owners to charge them when they can be monitored, but certified hoverboards should be as safe as any other modern electronic device with a large battery.